When Emperor Chongde looked at Si Junshan's face, he couldn't help but think of all the bad things this man had done in recent days!
Especially today, I ran into Si Junhong and Si Jinhao who were causing trouble in Yaxu Lao!
He really was speaking up for that girl!
She was just a weak woman, but she was not afraid of hardships and went north to provide disaster relief and save the people!
Old man Si Junshan was so good that he allowed his eldest sister and eldest son to seize the girl's property!
What a fool!
Emperor Chongde rolled his eyes and really didn't want to bother with that guy!
However, because they were in the court and discussing Han Lan's affairs, they had no choice but to be patient and ask:
"He, Han Lan, is just a barbarian from the north, yet he dares to ask for such a high price?
If that's the case, Lord Si, do you think we should bargain or reject it outright?"
Si Junshan heard this, thought for a moment, and said:
"I think bargaining with them would be a disgrace to Longyin. It would be better to refuse them outright!"
General Lei Ling strode forward and echoed loudly:
"Your Majesty, it is not worthwhile to discuss with such a treacherous person.
I agree with General Si's idea. If Han Lan dares to stir up trouble again, I will volunteer to go!"
Lei Ling was a rough man with a very loud voice. When he said this, all the generals in the hall were immediately excited and eager to try!
"That's what the two generals said!"
"That rabble invades every year. What's the point of negotiating peace?"
"It's really better to take it down in one fell swoop!"
However, Prime Minister Liu, who was at the head of the left column, glanced at the others and said slowly:
"For the past ten years, the imperial court has sent troops to suppress the rebellion every year, but in the end, they still failed to capture it, right?
And these years have cost a huge amount due to war!
You have to recruit soldiers, forge weapons, transport food and fodder continuously, pay military salaries, and reward soldiers, all of which cost money!
Due to the huge expenditures over the years, the national treasury has long been in deficit!
Let me ask you, generals, in this situation, how can I, Longyin, handle the new war?"
Among the civil officials, led by Prime Minister Liu, five or six officials echoed the sentiment, saying:
"It's been ten years since we took down Han Lan. Will it take another ten years?"
"A bunch of brutes, all they know is to fight!"
"We've been racking our brains in the capital to save money for the court, but you guys are squandering it so recklessly. It really hurts!"
Upon hearing this, Lei Ling's eyes widened in anger and he shouted at the top of his voice:
"Why are you talking so harshly?
Are we squandering the treasury's money? Damn it, I led my soldiers into battle, and that was hanging my head on my belt!
You just say that I have waited for all these years but failed to conquer Han Lan?
But no one would have thought that five years ago, Han Lan invaded and was about to capture three cities in Fencheng!
If it weren't for the Ninth Prince leading the army in person, I'm afraid that today, Fencheng Prefecture of Longyin would have become the territory of Hanlan!
Two years ago, Hanlan invaded again. General Si led his troops to fight the enemy bravely and drove the Hanlan people who crossed the Xuefeng Mountain back to the west of the Ru River!
The Hanlan people are ambitious and wicked. If they taste the sweetness, how could they be satisfied with it?
What else can you, a bunch of weaklings who can't even tie a chicken, do then? You can only kneel down under the horses of the Hanlan people and cry for mercy!
Okay, you guys say we are rough guys who only know how to fight, then why don’t you come up with a way to make them never invade again!
The premise is, don't trade the Longyin City that my soldiers fought so hard to protect for a brief period of peace!"
Lei Ling became more and more angry as he spoke, with a trace of uncontrollable anger flashing in his tiger eyes, like an enraged ferocious beast!
He really didn't understand. Without the soldiers' desperate defense, how could these people have a peaceful life?!
His passionate words made the civil servants on the opposite side shut up!
Even Prime Minister Liu, who used to be the best at quibbling over words, was somewhat powerless to refute!
He turned his head slightly, looked at the person standing in front of him, and said:
"General Lei, there's no need to be so angry. We haven't met Envoy Han Lan yet. We just discussed it beforehand. Why are you so angry, General? Take a break.
We have only stated the fact that the national treasury is in deficit. Even if we want to fight, we cannot come up with the money now.
We have to wait a while to save up some money to supply the army, right?"
Prince Qi Nanyuan glanced at Qi Nanyan who was silent beside him and said:
"Third brother, what do you think about this matter?"
Qi Nanyue didn't expect Qi Nanyuan to ask him specifically. The smile on his face was replaced by a sad look.
He said: "Given the current situation, I just hope Han Lan can understand better.
Years of war have not only left the treasury empty, but the people have also suffered greatly from the war. I imagine the prince cannot bear this."
Qi Nanyuan's eyes flashed when he heard this, and he sighed:
"Third brother is truly a kind-hearted man, caring deeply about the people. He is truly worthy of being called one of the Three Wise Kings praised by the people. I admire him!"
When Qi Nanyue heard this, he subconsciously glanced at Emperor Chongde on the throne.
Seeing that his expression did not change, he said:
"Your Highness, you are joking. Those are just the nonsense said by those who want to curry favor with me. Don't take them seriously!"
The civil and military factions were in opposition and divided into two factions of war and peace, but in the end they failed to come up with any countermeasures, which made Emperor Chongde very angry!
He waved his sleeves and drove all the ministers out of the Qinzheng Hall.
Prime Minister Liu was not talking nonsense. The national treasury was now empty and could not afford another large-scale war!
Lei Ling's words were more long-term. How could Han Lan, who was so ambitious, suddenly give up the idea of conquering Longyin?
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